//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Unwanted Memories // Story: Nexus of the Void // by Dragonchampion01 //------------------------------// Alern yawned as his eyes fluttered open, slowly making his way off the bed. Using his wings to steady himself, he quickly walked to the bathroom, splashing cool water over his face. “No matter how many times I do it, getting up at sunrise is a pain in the flank,” Alern said to his reflection in the mirror. Picking up a comb by the side of the sink, Alern combed his mane over the ruby, glaring at it. Walking downstairs when he finished, Alern hurriedly grabbed a bit to eat from the cloud fridge, munching on the remainder of last night’s dinner as he walked out the door. Continuing down the street, Alern soon found himself at the forge, the smelt of charcoal burning reaching his nostrils. Walking inside and quickly putting on his apron, Alern grinned at the smith. “I’m here.” Bright Metal smirked back, placing a few pieces of metal into the forge to melt. “So, kid, tell me about your time in the Everfree Forest.” The question surprised Alern, who nearly dropped the sword he was carrying to the storeroom. Looking back at Bright Metal, Alern replied. “How did you know I’ve been there?” “The whole incident a few days ago with Scootaloo and her friends travels quickly, especially if you know who to ask,” Bright Metal said calmly, taking a drink from a large bucket of water before turning back to the forge. “Yeah, but… nopony really paid much attention to me. Zecora was the one who did the most. I only saved o-“ “Life is something precious, Alern. Remember that. Saving one or saving many, it’s the same thing at heart. You did well, but what I am interested in is the true details.” Alern smirked nervously. “What do you mean?” “Those kids were bewitched. You knew where at least one of them was. How? And where?” Alern gulped as the forge master grabbed a half-finished sword from the forge, beginning to pound the metal into a blade. “Well…” “Out with it, colt. I don’t have time for hesitant answers.” Alern closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He supposed he could tell his master, of all people… “I heard a voice, the same day they heard one as well. I thought of myself, where I woke up and what I did, and traveled back. I found Scootaloo merely by chance and luck. Bright Metal was quiet for a moment, hammering away at the blade. “There is no luck, kid.” Putting the sword he had been holding away, Alern walked back into the room, the old smith hammering the weapon again and again on the anvil. “How did you protect yourself?” “Huh?” From the way you spoke, it sounded like you went farther than just the entrance to the forest. There are a lot of creatures out there, both good... and evil. How did you defend yourself, exactly?” Alern blushed. “Well, Twilight was with me for some of the trip, and-“ “You relied on a mare to protect you? That, my young apprentice, is just pathetic.” Bright Metal said, his hammer blows becoming even heavier as he spoke. “Did you have any personal weapons? A sword, or perhaps a decent dagger?” Alern shook his head. "All I had was a potion of strength Zecora had given me." “So you went into the depths of the Everfree Forest with no weapons, and only a potion made by a shamaness. Tell me, how did that work for you?” Alern remembered what the shape changer had said. “Is that all you’ve got? I’ve seen better at a filly’s competition.” Alern gulped as he thought back to the fight. If he hadn’t had the potion of strength, he would have been helpless. “Not that well.” Alern said after a few minutes, staring at a speck of dust on the floor. “Not well at all.” The old unicorn snorted, putting the sword back into the forge. “Would you like to know how to protect yourself, kid?” Alern looked up at Bright Metal, and noticed the old pony seemed to be staring through him, directly into his very soul with his deep brown eyes. “Yes, Master. I would.” As soon as Alern finished the sentence, he felt something flying through the air at his head. Instinctively, Alern leapt aside, and the blacksmith hammer hit the stone floor with a loud crunch. “The rule number one. Never leave yourself open, even around your friends,” Bright Metal grinned, using his magic to pick up his blacksmith hammer once again. “The second rule is… always have a weapon nearby.” Alern could hardly dodge the next flurry of blows aimed for his face, neck, and chest as the old blacksmith, with startling speed, charged right for the purple stallion. As the flurry drew to its close, the old Smith suddenly grabbed a poker from beside the forge, swinging toward Alern as he dodged another blow. Unable to dodge in mid-leap, Alern instinctively used his wings, lifting them over his face and hitting the poker with the muscle of the wing, knocking it free of Bright Metal’s magic. Bright Metal stopped, smirking. “An interesting tactic. While that move could very easily have taken your wing if it had been a bladed weapon, you still managed to knock it from my grasp.” Alern smirked back at the smith, keeping an eye on his surroundings in case he attempted something else. “Wasn’t much I could have done. If I hadn’t stopped the blow, I would have gotten a rather nasty lump on the skull, don’t you agree?” Bright Metal snickered, placing his hammer onto the anvil. “You are quite an odd Pegasus. To many, their wings are their life, and treat them as such. But you were so quick to use them as shield…” “Wing wounds can grow back,” Alern said, thinking of his encounter with the Lupus Minors. “However, if you lose an eye, or take a dangerous blow to the face because you didn’t use what was available to you at the time, then you are the only one that is to blame.” Bright Metal looked at Alern for a moment. “That phrase is quite… interesting. Have you heard it somewhere before?” Alern shook his head. “No, why?” Bright Metal turned away, walking over to the Storeroom. “No, it’s… nothing.” Walking out with a pair of carved wooden swords, Bright Metal handed one to Alern. “Come with me.” The two of them continued out of the forge, and Bright Metal led Alern to a large field behind the building. The grass rippled slightly in the early morning breeze, making the green of the field look like a sea. “How would you hold the weapon?” Bright Metal asked, turning around. Alern put the handle of the sword between his teeth, chomping down tightly. “No, you foal. If any strikes get past the sword’s guard, your life is forfeit! Try again.” Alern grabbed the sword with a hoof, holding it carefully. “Now, tell me, do you think you can do any real damage with that weapon?” Alern shook his head. “No, sir. I need four feet on the ground in order to remain standing. If I was flying, however…” Bright Metal nodded. “Most of the Royal Guard that use weapons either use them for show, or are unicorns. Pegasi soldiers within the Royal Guard instead normally use Wingblades, to keep their hooves ready to dodge, or to strike, if needs be.” “I thought you said that Wingblades were only used by the Wonderbolts?” Bright Metal shook his head. “No, but the Blade Arts are something only they know. The wingblades are but a tool. To use them well, now that is something they hide jealously.” Alern nodded, looking at the wooden blade in his hoof. Thinking for a moment, Alern smirked. Placing the blade near the front of his wing, Alern quickly grabbed a vine nearby and wrapped the handle to the inside of his wing, so the blade stuck out along his side. “How’s this?” “Now you’re thinking, kid. No matter the weapon, if you pair it with your wings, the reach is effectively doubled. Reach is something that wins fights. The longer your reach, the easier you can strike your opponent.” Alern nodded, swinging his wing around for a second to get a feel of the weapon. He couldn’t fly, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t need to during this training anyways. “Now. Come at me,” Bright Metal said, staring at Alern. Alern didn’t hesitate, charging directly at Bright Metal, his wing prepared to strike as he approached. Suddenly, Bright Metal moved, pushing it aside as he dodged the blow. The push managed to misalign the strike, which harmlessly struck the dirt. Bright Metal, however, rapped Alern behind the head with his practice blade. “Your wings are vulnerable when you use a basic weapon with them. Remember to never leave your feathers open to an attack as you charge,” Bright Metal said, smirking at Alern. Alern returned the stare, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Just as Bright Metal blinked, Alern leapt into the air, his hind legs propelling him forward. Weapon stretched forward and ready to attack, Alern smirked as he saw Bright Metal attempt to dodge. Suddenly, Alern’s eyes widened as he saw what the unicorn was about to do. “WAAAAAAAAAH!” Alern shouted as he passed right underneath the unicorn pony as he levitated himself into the air. Bright Metal laughed, looking at Alern, who was face first in the dirt. “That’s another lesson. Never just charge into a battle. Know your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses before you attack, or you can very well end up dead in the first strike." Landing a few feet away from Alern, Bright Metal slashed the air a few times with the wooden blade, staring at Alern. “Attack me again.” This time, Alern stood his ground, watching Bright Metal intently. Inside his mind, the beginning of a plan was forming. “He can use magic to redirect himself, and he has much more experience than I do. His strikes hadn’t made contact yet, but there was something he noticed about his movements. “He favors his left side,” Alern said to himself, noticing the old pony’s stance. Sure enough, the pony seemed to put most of his weight on his left side, even preferring to keep his weapon on that side. However, Alern’s mind continued to think. “His magic allows him to easily attack me from whichever angle he chooses. That magic… how can I fight a magic user with just my wings?” Alern heard the voice in his head respond to his question. “You can’t. Magic users are the best at using a simple blade for a reason. But, just to help out this once, I’ll give you a tip. Magic users require eye contact with the weapon or item they are levitating, otherwise it requires them to have a good mental picture of the item in their mind. Disrupt that image, remove their eyes as a factor, or change their surroundings, and you will have the advantage.” Alern nodded to himself, looking at Bright Metal for a second. “What are the rules in this engagement?” Bright Metal smirked, immediately falling into a defensive stance. “There are no rules. Pretend I’m going to kill you.” “Fair enough,” Alern replied, looking at the ground beneath him. Part of the earth was sandy, dusty beneath his hoof. Perfect. Running at Bright Metal, Alern feinted, instead leaping aside as Bright Metal countered the feint, and Alern smirked as he found himself right below his face. Stamping his hoof against the ground, Alern kicked a large chunk of earth into the grey unicorn’s eyes, temporarily blinding him as he staggered back, rubbing his eyes. Alern noticed his hold on the wooden blade and charged, leaping over him and bringing his own blade up to Bright Metal’s throat. “Bravo, kid. Although…” Bright Metal smirked, and rapped Alern’s skull with his wooden blade, which he had positioned behind him during the movement. Alern groaned. “Don’t feel bad, removing a unicorn’s vision is the basic way to win against a magic user. I was wondering when you’d try something like that.” Wiping the dirt out of his eyes, Bright Metal smiled. "Unfortunately for you, I've learned to keep control of my magic in such conditions." Bright Metal finished wiping the last of the dirt from his eyes. “Now, let’s do something a little different. Take off your wooden blade.” Alern quickly obliged, leaping aside as Bright Metal swung at him as soon as the blade was off. “Good. Remembering the first rule,” Bright Metal said with a smirk. Alern nodded, turning back toward the unicorn. “Now what?” “Now, I’ll teach you what I know about wingblades.” The statement caught Alern unaware, causing him to flinch. “Wingblades? Teach me?” “ Are you deaf, kid?” Bright Metal growled. “I said I would teach you what I know. It’s not much, but I did see the Royal Guard training with them a bit. Don’t get yer hopes up too much, though.” Alern nodded, spreading his wings. “So where do we begin?” Bright Metal walked over and positioned Alern’s wings in several positions, remarking at each one. “Repeat that series until I say otherwise.” Alern began repeating the series, lifting his wings in the movements Bright Metal had shown, each one flowing into the next. Alern felt his mind calm as he did this, his wings flowing through the air like liquid. “Not bad, kid.” Alern closed his eyes, focusing on the movements, and felt his body following them as he moved, each position and each flutter of his wings having a position that seemed… right. “ "Kid? Are you sure you haven’t done this before?” Alern continued the movements, shaking his head as he did so. “Not that I know of. Why?” “You’re moving your body like a Royal Guard would.” Alern smirked. “Really? It just felt right to move this way.” Bright Metal smirked as he watched Alern, then turned back toward the forge, mumbling something under his breath. Walking into the building, Bright Metal called back to Alern. “Keep going.” * * * Alern’s sweat beaded around the crystal on his head, dripping down into his eyes as he continued his movements. His wings were beginning to protest, his muscles burning as he continued. Alern smirked to himself. The movements felt like second nature; as if he had done them before. A few minutes more, and Alern heard the sound of hoofsteps behind him. Continuing on the movements, Alern saw Bright Metal stand in front of him. “An excellent beginning,” Bright Metal said, nodding. Alern stopped, his tired wings falling to his side, too sore to fold themselves in any way. “Now, what do you know about the wingblade itself?” Bright Metal eyed Alern as he asked the question. “I don’t know much about it. Only that it is a weapon that is attached to your wings to give them added power and strength, and give you the ability to attack with them.” “A good start. But a wingblade is much more. They are forged with magic, by magic, in magic. Wingblades are considered to be the pinnacle of Equestrian weaponry, with each movement a double edged sword. An untrained wingblade user is more likely to harm himself than his opponent.” “When wingblades were first invented, the pony responsible for the invention, Star Wonder, the first leader of the Wonderbolts, actually managed to slice off part of his ear in training. Today, we try to avoid that,” Bright Metal snickered, turning to Alern. “So before we even begin training with wooden or normal wingblades, you have to understand the basic movements of using one to its fullest. This movement you just completed was the most basic of the skill sets. Now, we move on.” Alern groaned to himself, feeling the throbbing ache in his wings. As Bright Metal began showing him the next movements, the muscles began to stiffen, causing his wings to refuse to move. “Don’t tell me this is all you can do?” Bright Metal said snidely, noticing the stiffness. Alern smirked back. “Not likely.” Forcing his muscles to loosen with sheer willpower, Alern began to move in the six movements that Bright Wing had just shown him. The same familiarity began to seep into his mind, the movements of his body beginning once more to match his wings. As his wings began moving, the soreness of the muscles began to mask itself, instead continuing the movements. Bright Metal watched with a smile. “This kid is really something,” he said to himself. Watching Alern for a few minutes, Bright Metal walked back toward the forge, stepping inside. The heat of the coals had begun to taper off, and Bright Metal quickly restocked the forge with more fuel, walking into the storeroom. “Let’s see what we can do,” Bright Metal said, looking at the stockpiled weapons and armor in his forge. Hours passed once more as Alern continued the different movements, the sweat now completely drenching his mane, matting it against his coat. Alern could feel the beginning of true exhaustion setting in from his continuous movements, part of him wanting to stop this repetitive moving, the other part enjoying the freedom of the style. Finally, Alern heard Bright Metal’s voice calling from the smithy. “Alright, kid. Come in here for a second.” Alern gasped for breath, letting his wings fall to his sides, the burning sensation preventing him from folding them to his side. Walking into the smithy, Alern felt the wave of heat from the forge causing another few beads of sweat to appear on his brow. Walking over to the forge, Alern looked inside and saw Bright Metal hammering at white colored steel. Unlike the metal they had been working on before, this steel was a bright, vibrant white and even the cooled parts of the metal resembled the white of snow. “What metal is that?” Alern asked, watching Bright Metal place it back into the forge. “White Steel. Forged with magic. It’s lighter, harder, and naturally sharper than iron or normal steel. Wingblades are made out of this metal, mixed with iron by those smiths too lazy to work with it. However, I used to make my wingblades entirely out of White Steel. They were rather expensive, but they were the best of the best, if I do say so myself.” “And where did you get this white steel?” Alern asked as Bright Metal pumped the bellows. “You really think I would just move to Ponyville without taking my stock of materials? I might have been publicly humiliated, but I’m still a smith,” Bright Metal smirked. Alern shrugged, watching the white steel turn a bright blue as it heated, white sparks dancing along its edges. A large blister formed as the metal heated up. “Is it supposed to do that?” Bright Metal grabbed the bar with some tongs, quickly dipping it into a bucket of water to cool it. The bubble’s metal froze, and the white steel began to shine steadily. “Kid, listen. Remember that small bubble you saw in the iron when I hired you?” Alern nodded, watching as the bubble began to crack down the middle, white sparkles cascading along the crack itself. “White Steel is inherently magical. Magic buildup is common. However, pegasi smiths are unable to contain the magic; it’s why many of them prefer to use an alloy of white steel and iron instead of pure white steel. I need you to hurry and get out of this forge, so I can contain this.” Alern saw the white sparks were becoming even more frequent, dancing along the edge of the metal in a joyous waltz. Alern took a step backwards, but it was far too late. With a magical burst, the crack ripped open, and white sparks whirling around the forge. They whipped around, kicking up the wind in a massive whirlwind. Books and items flew off shelves, scattering dust and debris around the two ponies. “I said, get out of here!” Bright Metal shouted over the howling magic. Alern, however, didn’t hear. The magic itself was dancing around him, showing off a rainbow of beauty to his eyes. Rooted in place, Alern watched as the magic, undoubtedly feral from the sweet smell around him, began whirling around his wings. Almost like a living being, the feral magic roared, twisting itself around Alern’s purple coat like a snake. Part of Alern wondered if something like this should hurt, but the sparks instead made their way to his wings, where they ran along their length, diving into the spots that were most sore. Disappearing under his flesh, Alern could feel the exhaustion in his muscles disappear as the magic entered his body, coalescing around his jewel as well, whipping his mane away as it began to glow in a brilliant red color. The white sparks danced around his eyes, diving into the glowing gem. Alern could almost hear the sparks’ joy as they met the crystal’s own magic, flowing around his body like a waterfall of energy. Finally, the magic calmed, the jewel in Alern’s forehead dimming as he released a held breath. Looking around, Alern saw Bright Metal’s surprised face. “Alright, what the hay just happened?” Bright Metal’s confusion was evident in his voice as he approached Alern, eyeing the crystal. “And what in the nine layers of Tatarus is THAT?” Bright Metal asked, pointing a hoof at the crystal. Alern smirked nervously, rubbing the back of his mane. “Well, it’s sort of… complicated,” Alern said. “Try me, kid. When a Pegasus with magical powers managed to contain a white metal release right in front of me, I tend to start understanding things pretty well.” Alern laughed nervously as he explained everything he knew about the crystal, how it seemed to resonate with magic, and even sometimes respond to his commands, though very slightly. As he continued the story, Bright Metal returned to the white steel, placing it back into the forge. Finally, Alern finished, taking a deep breath to steady himself. Inwardly, Alern wondered how long he could hide the crystal; Twilight knew about it, and now Bright Metal? He was taking quite a few risks. “So, essentially, you have no idea where the crystal came from, but it gives you the ability to use magic? So you are telling me you are an alicorn?” Alern snorted. “Yeah, I’m an Alicorn. I’m also related to the Princesses, and am secretly a Prince in exile.” Bright Metal laughed at the thought, and Alern joined in, the nervous air around the two disappearing quickly. Finally, Bright Metal stopped, looking at Alern. “You know, if you can use magic, you need to see Twilight. She could probably teach you to control it. Well, I guess she could. I wouldn’t really know,” Bright Metal said pointing at the crystal. “And a bit of magic never hurts around the forge, or in a self defense situation, if you know what I mean.” Alern nodded. “I suppose you’re right. But Twilight? Teach me magic? I never really thought about that possibility.” Bright Metal smirked. “She’s the greatest unicorn wizard since Star Swirl the Bearded. Also, she’s a nice mare. She’ll teach ya.” Alern smiled, blushing. “Well, I know about how nice she is, but I didn’t know how powerful she was…” “She’s a humble one, that Twilight Sparkle. You mark my words, in the future she’ll be even more famous that Star Swirl, and all the while she’ll be trying to say she isn’t important.” Bright Metal laughed, looking at the white steel in the forge. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” Alern walked over to the forge again, and saw the white steel beginning to heat up to a brilliant blue color once again. “So, we’re making a wingblade?” “That’s right,” Bright Metal said, watching the metal. “Isn’t it a bit… early to be considering a wingblade? I mean, I’ve only just started-“ “A wingblade is something you never forget how to use. After watching you practice the movements, I am pretty sure that parts of your locked memories are saying you knew how to use one before. Nopony can just ‘guess’ and be as accurate to the movements as you were.” Alern blushed. “I was really that good?” “Your form was excellent, and the movements sound. The only thing that you lacked was the blade itself.” As he said this, Bright Metal took the metal from the forge, placing it onto the anvil nearby. “C’mere, kid.” Bright Metal said, motioning for Alern to walk forward. Alern complied, approaching the white metal. As he got close, Bright Metal grabbed Alern’s wing roughly and tore out a large feather from the tip. “Hey! That’s a primary! Without that, I can’t-“ Bright Metal smirked, putting his hoof over Alern’s mouth. “Let the stallion do his work, my young apprentice. Just watch.” Placing the long feather on top of the white metal, Alern watched as the metal seemed to come alive, tendrils of the magic alloy wrapping itself around the feather and fusing with it, the metal folding over itself again and again as it claimed the feather as its own. “How…” “Magic.” Bright Metal grinned as the feather was ejected from the metal, a glowing silvery-purple color. Grabbing it with his own magic, Bright Metal lifted the feather and placed it next to Alern’s wings. Alern flinched as the metal itself reached over his wing and grabbed it, attaching itself to where the feather had been moments before. “I thought you said Wingblades were weapons, not feathers!” Alern said, surprised. The feeling of the warm metal over his feathers was odd, like a cream applying itself to his wing. The feather fitted itself back into its slot, making his wing whole once again. “Normal wingblades are, kid. Alloys are dead, no feeling through them. Wingblades made that way have to be hammered, and they have to be installed in the middle of the wing rather than the edge. Also, it’s pretty hard to fly with alloy-wingblades, the iron contrasting sharply with the lightweight white steel. But wingblades made with pure white steel are more of a living creature. They are light, they replace a pony’s feathers, and react with a pony’s thoughts. Give it a shot.” Alern nodded, reaching his mind out to the feather. As he did, Alern felt a warm feeling in the back of his mind, and he latched onto it, trying to control it. “Bravo, kid.” Alern looked at the feather, and saw a blade had formed around it as he watched, the blade a deadly sharp edge as he looked. The blade itself was a bright silver color, and the feather was slightly glowing. “Now put it away.” Alern released his hold on the feather, and relaxed. The blade disappeared, and the feather dulled in color to match the others. “Now, we have to do five feathers on each wing for the wingblades to form a decent blade. Once you replace your feathers, they will also be useable in mid-flight; the blades will move just like your other feathers.” Alern nodded as Bright Metal walked over again, plucking another feather from Alern’s wing. As he repeated the process, Alern looked at the wingblade feather in his wing carefully. “Master, the feather itself is hard to tell from the others. Isn’t that a bit dangerous?” Bright Metal nodded as the white steel spat out the feather, coated in a layer of the white metal. As he walked back over and replaced the feather, Bright Metal spoke. “After the Griffon Campaigns, Wingblades were hailed as an elegant weapon for an elegant age. Every Pegasus wanted a set. Of course, where there’s pegasi with such weapons, there are those who abuse the powers. Three separate times, pegasi attempted to assassinate the princesses, and three times the assassins were struck down. Finally, Wingblades were outlawed in their use for all but the Royal Guard or the Wonderbolts, and normal ponies with the weapons were stripped of their feathers. This harsh punishment came to be known as the Wingblade Persecutions. It was a dark time for Equestria.” Alern felt his heart skip a beat as he heard the word “outlawed.” “You mean to tell me this is illegal?” Alern shouted. Bright Metal smirked, looking up at Alern as he replaced another feather. “Kind of. But as long as you don’t use these wingblades for anything dangerous, or attack anypony, I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Alern backed up a moment as Bright Metal took yet another feather. “Wait… you mean you are breaking the law for me? Why would you even risk yourself like this? I know I needed a way to defend myself, but you saw my crystal, and I can use magic if I need to. Why risk yourself on something that can easily land you in prison?” Bright Metal smirked. “Kid, I have a feeling you will be needing these wingblades more than you know. It’s a certain… air around you. Something big is going to happen in your future. And I plan on giving you every opportunity to survive that ‘something’.” Alern felt the metal latch onto his wing as Bright Metal replaced his fifth feather on his left wing, turning to his Right when it finished and plucking the first primary. “But-“ Bright Metal laughed. “Listen, kid, you are the most paranoid pony I have ever seen. Just know that I see potential in you, and I have a feeling that potential will blossom into something big. When the Wonderbolts recruit ya, just be sure NOT to mention me.” Alern sighed. “Yes, Master.” Privately, Alern wondered why the old smith was taking such a risk. Something didn’t add up in his story. Giving a teenage pony a dangerous weapon that could be used in assassinations? The old stallion had to have some ulterior motive. Finally, the feathers were replaced, and Alern could feel the warm presence of the metal when he reached out his mind. The feathers felt lighter than before, and a few flutters of his wing revealed he had greater lift than before they were installed. “I assume you feel that added strength in your wings? Well-made wingblades are, in a way, parasites. They feed off your energy and act as an entity outside of yourself. They lend you their power, and in exchange you give them part of your energy. It’ll take a while to get used to them, but when you do you will be flying faster than before. Heh.” Bright Metal smirked, then burst out laughing. “What’s so funny?” Alern asked, walking over. I was just thinking about one of Twilight’s friends. One Rainbow Dash. Always trying to get into the Wonderbolts. If she knew that wingblades were able to increase the speed of a pegasi, she would be pestering me to no end. As it is, she hates the stuff I do here. Says my armor and weapons aren’t ‘cool enough’. Remarked to me that they need to be twenty percent cooler.” Alern smirked at the phrase. “Her loss, I suppose.” Bright Metal nodded, and then looked at Alern’s wings. “So, I see you are rested. Are you ready to learn the next series of movements?” Alern nodded. “The magic from the white metal seemed to restore most of my energy. I feel excellent.” Bright Metal smirked evilly. “You’re going to need it, kid. I’m going to teach you some advanced movements, next. The two from before were utter cakewalk compared to this.” Alern’s smile quickly disappeared. * * * Alern groaned as he walked back to his house, his wings hanging limply at his side. Every muscle in his body was screaming for rest, from his neck to his wings themselves. Reaching the house, Alern quickly walked inside, heading up to the massive library, where he took a seat in a large plush chair. Releasing a breath in happiness, Alern looked around the room as the last few rays of the sun illuminated what it could of the bookshelves. Grabbing the book he had started a few days prior, Alern noticed a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye. “I am not in the mood, ghost.” The movement stopped quickly. Alern had established an uneasy truce between himself and the ghost after he had made it clear he was not leaving the house. Parts of him still believed he was seeing apparitions, or going insane, but the things he saw happen around the house were not natural, not by a long shot. Going back to his book, Alern sighed as he found his eyes closing. Shutting the book and placing it on the table, Alern uneasily left the library, walking into his room. “Why did I even bother coming in here?” Out of the corner of his eye, Alern saw an odd ripple in the air as he left the library, walking into his room and climbing onto the bed. Staring at the ceiling, Alern yawned, his eyes slowly closing as he drifted off to sleep. Alern felt himself falling. Deeper and deeper he fell, the ending nowhere in sight. The feeling was indescribeable. Not like flying, more like… despair. The feeling got worse the longer he fell, and he began to see images, pictures around him. Pictures of himself, pictures of others, all of them parts of the last week. “You know, you are quite an interesting fellow to watch.” Alern looked around himself as suddenly his descent was halted, his hooves touching the ground lightly. The pictures quickly disappeared, and Alern could see the figure of a pony just beyond, hidden by the darkness. “You know, every pony has a bit of darkness inside their soul. Jealousy, Hate, Rage, all of it is the same when you come down to it. And you are no different.” Alern gritted his teeth, looking at the pony hidden in the darkness. “Who are you?” The pony walked closer, the voice entering every facet of his mind as he got closer. “Why, my dear Alern. I am you. I am you in your most basic, primal form.” As the voice spoke, the pony stepped from the darkness. The pony was almost an exact copy of Alern, but with a deep, ruby red coat. His eyes were a deep blood red, the color filling them, hiding the pupils behind the red color. The pony stepped up to Alern, and smiled, his teeth wickedly sharp. The ruby gemstone was embedded in his brow, glowing brightly as he got closer. “Who… are you?” Alern asked again, backing up. “I just told you.” The voice replied quickly, smiling even more, advancing toward Alern. Reaching over his shoulder and whispering directly into his ear, Alern heard his sinister hiss as he spoke softly. “I… am Regna. Anger. Your darkness. Remember me.” Alern awoke, sweat streaming down his face, soaking the blankets enveloping him. Alern gasped for breath, the image of the blood red pony burned into his mind. “Regna.” Alern said to himself, walking out of the room in a daze. “Regna.” Quickly making his way into the library, Alern began looking through the books in a hurry, grabbing everything he could find on the supernatural. “You won’t find anything about me there.” Alern promptly dropped the book in fright, whipping around. He knew the voice was inside of his mind, but he still attempted to find a source around him. “You know, I told you, I am a part of you. I’ll help you a bit. Go and get your mail.” Alern shook his head. “My mail?” Walking downstairs, Alern made his way to the door, where the mailbox was waiting, the small flag indicating waiting letters. Opening the small door at the base of the box, Alern grabbed several scrolls from the box. One of them was stamped with an odd pink symbol, resembling cotton candy, or a cloud, or something. Opening it, Alern began reading. “Hi! My name’s Pinkie Pie! I wanted to say hello and invite you to a welcome to Ponyville party on Sunday! I would really like it if you would come! The party begins at noon, and it located at Sugarcube Corner! If you need help getting there, Twilight will show you the way!” Alern rolled up the scroll, smirking. That might be fun. Taking the second scroll, Alern saw a dark-colored seal emblazoned upon it. Opening it, Alern’s heart leapt into his throat. There, staring back at him, was an almost exact representation of Regna, as the red pony had called himself. The red eyes were unmistakable in the colored poster, and Alern felt a bead of sweat fall down his muzzle. “WANTED: Unknown Pony, calls himself “Change.” WANTED FOR: Attempted Regicide, Assault, Battery, and injury of Royal Guards. Anypony with information should contact the closest Royal Guard station as soon as possible. Suspect is armed and should be considered extremely dangerous.” Alern paled as the voice taunted him once more. “You know, kid, being in your head all the time does get boring. At least I managed to have some fun before I got locked away.” Alern gritted his teeth together viciously, closing his eyes. “What do you mean, ‘fun’? What did you DO!” Alern shouted inside his own mind. Alern could feel Regna’s wicked grin inside of him. “Why, I simply borrowed your body for a while. In return, I made sure that you woke up in a decent location to be found by that silly Zebra.” Alern felt his anger building. “WHAT DID YOU DO?” “Why don’t I show you?” The simple sentence was all Alern heard as a torrent of memories were released, Alern seeing a dark blue pony on the ground in front of him, a metal wingblade draped across the top of his wing and pointed at the alicorn. The memory changed, showing the red pony pick up three Royal Guards and send them flying into the wall. Alern felt himself turn back to the blue pony, who had leapt down behind him- “ENOUGH!” Alern shouted furiously, the volume of his voice shaking the room. “What’s the matter, kid? Didn’t you want back some of your memories? I just gave you a freebie, and you all of a sudden can’t take it anymore?” The voice continued taunting, and Alern felt his entire body heat up with rage. “You USED me! You used me as a bucking puppet!” Alern screamed, trying to look at the crystal in his forehead. “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. You know part of you enjoys that havoc you create. Part of you enjoys acting in anger. I saw what you did to that vendor pony in the market. It was a delicious act of unnecessary violence.” “I didn’t… I didn’t mean…” Alern stuttered, running out of the room toward the bathroom. Looking in the mirror at himself, Alern saw the ruby’s glow flicker each time the voice spoke. “You didn’t mean to? Oh boo hoo. Why don’t you tell the vendor that? Or the entire town for that matter? You’re an outcast. You will always be one. There’s nothing you-“ Alern screamed in rage, slamming his head against the mirror, shattering the glass and sending shards of it flying everywhere around him. “Wait, kid… what’re you…” Alern ignored the voice, looking at the wall where the mirror had been moments before. “Don’t you even think about-“ Alern smashed his forehead against the wall, the ruby hitting the stone with a loud CRACK! Alern felt a massive flash of pain shoot through his head as he did so, but he ignored it, feeling a tendril of blood drip down around his eye. “Kid, don’t do this!" Regna's voice was panicked, frantic. Alern ignored the voice again, smashing the ruby against the wall and sending another blinding flash of pain through his mind. Again and again Alern began smashing the ruby against the stone wall, harder and harder, the flashes of pain beginning to dull as shock set in. As blood began to blur his vision, Alern stopped. Glass shards and blood littered the floor around him, causing him to stagger for a moment. “I wonder how much blood I lost…” Alern said to himself, and was greeted by naught but silence. With a smile, Alern felt his eyes flutter shut as he plummeted toward the floor, falling unconscious instantly.